Here come the Chiefs

By Lindsay Kramer
Staff writer
When Washington took over from Toronto as the parent club of the Syracuse Chiefs this season, change was a predictable by-product.

New management. New players. New logo and color schemes. New souvenirs.

But a team in strong contention for a playoff spot halfway through the season? Who knew?

Syracuse's 6-3 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday at Alliance Bank Stadium was the Chiefs' seventh in a row, tied for a season high. The victory moved Syracuse (39-32) within two games of the first place Yankees in the International League North. The Chiefs are also tied with Durham and Gwinett for the lead in the wildcard race.

The Chiefs haven't made the playoffs since 1998. The last time they finished over .500 was 2000, at 74-66.

"This is about what we should expect from each other, the way we've been playing recently.'' said Syracuse first baseman Brad Eldred, who cracked a homer and drove in three runs on Thursday. "I feel like this team is pretty close to a big league team as you can have (in the minors). There's so much talent.''

Today's game against the visiting Yankees is Syracuse's 72nd of the regular season, the exact halfway point of the schedule. Here's a look at what's going right so far:

- The offense has a deep pool of heroes.

The Chiefs came into Thursday's game seventh in the IL in batting average (.255) and just 10th in runs per game (4.21), but there's more to the story than that.
Syracuse is big on fireworks, as its 63 homers ranked fourth in the league. It also preys on opposing pitchers the second and third times through the batting order. The Chiefs had plated 109 of their 295 runs this season - more than one third of their total - in the fourth and fifth innings combined.

"You want the lineup to be a problem for the opposing pitcher,'' Eldred said. "You don't get tricked that second time around when you have a lot of guys who know what they are doing at the plate.''

Ten different players had at least seven two-hit games. Five different positions - left field, center field, shortstop, second base and first base - had combined to contribute at least 34 RBI to the lineup. Seven individual players had at least 22 RBI.

- The pitchers throw strikes and stay away from the big innings.

The Chiefs had handed out just 196 free passes, the third-lowest figure in the IL, and surrendered only 50 homers, tied for third-lowest. The staff has allowed opponents five or more runs in an inning just three times this season.

- The bullpen shuts the door.

Before Thursday, Syracuse relievers were on a run of 17 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run, spanning the six-game winning streak.

- The defense doesn't give away outs.

Syracuse was tied for third in the IL with a .979 fielding percentage and had committed the third-fewest errors (54).

"We're not giving the opponents more than three outs,'' said Syracuse manager Tim Foli. "When you give a pitcher a chance to pitch with three outs an inning, usually he's going to be pretty good.''

- The team's aggressiveness pays off (usually).

Foli came into town promising a brazen attitude on the basepaths, and he's been true to his word. Syracuse was fourth in the IL in stolen bases (66), but it also paced the league in times caught stealing (39). Foli's attitude is obvious in the leeway he gives third base coach Darnell Coles in waving home runners.

"It (aggressiveness) doesn't always work. I want them to be responsible for how the game is supposed to be played. The thing that's neat is our organization is getting better. Our minor league is getting better. Right now, we are going in the right direction.''